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Writing Abstracts Gina Koczberski Research Fellow Humanities Faculty. 29 th June, 2013. What is an abstract?. What is an abstract?. A presentation of the essential elements of a longer work in a short and powerful statement ( concise summary).
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Writing AbstractsGina Koczberski Research FellowHumanities Faculty 29th June, 2013
What is an abstract? • A presentation of the essential elements of a longer work in a short and powerful statement (concise summary). • A statement of xxx words maximum –the number you are told to write. • An abstract presents all the main arguments and important results contained in the longer work (tells the reader what to expect in the written work) .
Humanities Factpack for HDR students: “After reading the abstract, the reader should be able to understand the research question and objectives, have a sense of the contexts (theoretical, practical) of the research, be able to identify in general terms what methodologies will be used, and have a sense of the project’s significance and its likely outcomes” (2012: 22).
When to write an abstract? • Before the longer work is produced, as with conference presentation proposals, book/chapter proposals. • While the longer work is being produced, as with research grant applications. • After the longer work has been produced, as with theses and journal articles.
Why write an abstract? • To gain an audience (to attract people to your presentation, to read your article etc – especially important with the increase use of on-line search databases.). • It is increasingly essential for anyone embarking on an academic career to publish and apply for grants. • To gain acceptance (of a conference presentation, a book proposal etc.).
How to write an Abstract An abstract should provide answers to the following questions: • What was done? (background/context of study). • Why was it done? (purpose, aim, argument, problem). • How was it done? (methods/approach). • What was found (results). • What are the implications of the findings? (conclusion, significance, so what?).
Other things to consider • Title • Key words • Be concise. • Use plain English. • Avoid vague statements. • Must meet the word count limitations. • Don’t include information not discussed in the paper. • Usually don’t include references.
